What happens in Vegas....

Last weekend Allie and I went to Vegas for a conference. For those of you who have never been to Vegas before, there are two very different sides to the coin. Vegas can somehow exude luxuy, class, and oppulence while at the same time display sadness, brokeness, and destitution. As this was likely out last "vacation" together before heading to China we tried to take in some of the finer points of Vegas. Our trip favorite's included hanging out with friends, the frozen yogurt place in Mirage, dinner at Thomas Keller's Buchon restaurant, the Blue Man Group, our half-marathon, and the chocolate fountain in the Bellagio. And yes... I see that most of our favorites are all about eating... just ignore that! Here is a picture of our view from dinner inside Ceasar's Palace:

In addition to the Blue Man Group we were also able to see the Jabbawockeez while we were there. Here's a pic of the Jabawockeez stage before the performers came out:

Although we had a great time on the trip there was one very sobering reality. This was the last time that we were going to see several of our friends for at least 2 years! On our first full day in Vegas we said our first "goodbye" to a great friend. How do you sum up several years of friendship, care, and respect in a 30 second "goodbye"? The reality is that you don't. You have an "awkward" hug that leaves you both wishing you could say more as you go your separate ways. One solution would be for us to slowly start distancing ourselves now from our friends, making future goodbyes less painful. However, I think nothing could be further from the truth. Now is the time for us to pour into our friends as much as possible, taking full advantage of the rest of our time together! This is summed up perfectly in the following quote. I know its long, but bear with it... it's worth it!

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possible broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to noone, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket-- safe, dark, motionless, airless-- it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from the perturbations of love is Hell. " -- C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

So to all our friends that we are going to have these awkward goodbyes with, know that our hearts yearn with the words that our mouths fail to speak!